UA graduate student to give presentation about routing of I-14 at Selma-Dallas County Library

The proposed Interstate 14 has the potential to be a good thing for the Black Belt. If it’s done right.

University of Alabama graduate student Jack Spalding is studying the socio-economic and ecological impacts of the proposed Interstate 14 on Selma and Dallas County. He will give a presentation on the proposed Interstate 14 on March 25 at 10:30 a.m. in the Vaughan Room of the Selma-Dallas County Public Library. Everyone’s invited.

“The history of interstates being built in the past in Montgomery, Birmingham, et cetera, have not always had the interest of minorities or folks of lower income in mind,” Spalding said. “Everybody has a chance to gain or lose as a result” of Interstate 14.

The concept of a major highway running parallel to and between Interstate 10 and Interstate 20 from Georgia to Texas has been considered for decades, according to Spalding.

“In Alabama, this idea was manifested in a proposal for extending Interstate 85 west of Montgomery and crossing the Black Belt to link up with Interstate 59/20 south of York,” Spalding said in a flyer for his presentation. “Currently, the future Interstate 14 corridor runs from Augusta, Ga. to Odessa, Texas, and only a small segment of the interstate has been constructed – a 24-mile segment in Texas.”

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Of three proposed routes, the so-called southerly route appears to be preferred by I-14 backers, Spalding told the Sun. “Lots of folks in the community with lower income don’t have as much input on routings,” Spalding said. “These people need to have more input.”

Spalding, a member of the Laboratory for Location Science at the University of Alabama, hopes to generate some discussion as he studies the socio-economic and ecological impacts of proposed Interstate 14 on Selma and Dallas County for his master’s thesis.

A recipient of the Community Engagement Graduate Fellowship by the Council on Community-Based Partnerships at the University of Alabama, Spalding went back to graduate school after a career gathering data for political campaigns, including Doug Jones’ U.S. Senate campaign.

Spalding said he plans to survey “a broad swath” of the community in the fall to get their thoughts about the proposed interstate. The March 25 meeting is part of that process.

“I want to take into account the ‘little guy’ as well,” Spalding said. “They’ve not always had input on major transportation infrastructure. I want to understand their positions on these routings (for I-14).”